The invention relates to a safety device used in a well, such as an inspection well.
Especially in urban areas, there is a great deal of piping below the ground for rain water, sewage waste or data transmission cables, for instance. Typically the piping is built below the street network so that, for rain water, there are vertical pipes extending to the street level and covered with a cover that allows the rain water to flow into the piping. Correspondingly, sewers and cable pipes are equipped with vertical pipes that extend to the street level and act as inspection wells if the sewer needs to be opened or renovated or if a cable needs a new connector. Inspection wells on the streets are easy to find and reach, but working around the well is dangerous because of the passing traffic. In addition, an open inspection well causes danger to the people and vehicles passing on the street.
Prior-art solutions endeavour to attach the attention of a driver of a vehicle to the work area with safety strips, lights or fences. These help an observant driver, but do not protect the person working by the well, if, in spite of everything, a driver who is ill or drunk, for instance, does not notice the marked work area. It is also possible to use movable concrete blocks to protect the work area, but, in practice, they only help in collisions that take place at a very slow velocity, because the concrete blocks slide along with the car hitting the block. If the safety of the work area is to be ensured, a truck can be parked in front of the well to protect the work area. The use of a truck for this purpose prevents its use for its normal purposes and blocks the road from traffic on at least one traffic lane.
A problem with the above arrangement is that devices not suited for such a use take a great deal of space and may be slow to install or do not necessarily provide sufficient protection when work is ongoing by a well.